GENE EXPRESSION PROFILES AS PRECLINICAL AND CLINICAL CANCER BIOMARKERS OF PROGNOSIS, DRUG RESPONSE, AND DRUG TOXICITY

Measurement of the expression level of specific genetic or protein biomarkers in patient serum or biopsies can be extremely valuable in the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of human neoplasms. However, tumor or serum level of large groups of proteins or transcripts is necessary to predict patient prognosis or outcome reliably after chemotherapy. This article focuses on the current progress made in the use of gene profiling to predict patient prognosis and response or toxicity to specific chemotherapy regimens.